The Jim Henson Company Promotes Creative Execs

The Jim Henson Company has promoted two members of its creative team to serve as directors in feature and television development: Meghan Sheridan has been named Director of Children’s Entertainment, and Blanca Lista is now Director of Feature Development.

Hollywood, CA – The Jim Henson Company has promoted two members of its creative team to serve as directors in feature and television development. Meghan Sheridan has been named Director of Children’s Entertainment and will report to Halle Stanford the Executive Vice President of that division. Blanca Lista is now Director of Feature Development and will report to Lisa Henson, the CEO of The Jim Henson Company and overseeing the development of feature film projects. Both executives will be responsible for bringing in new projects, writers and talent for the development slate at the Company.

“Blanca and Meghan have proven to be valuable additions to our executive team here and as our development slates in both film and television continue to expand, their expertise will contribute greatly both to our new projects and the growth of our legacy brands,” said Lisa Henson.

Meghan Sheridan joined the children’s entertainment department in 2010. She has previously worked with the production teams of “Sid the Science Kid” and "Dinosaur Train,” both airing daily on PBS KIDS, the BBC’s “Me & My Monsters,” and “The Possibility Shop” for DisneyFamily.com. Current productions include “Pajanimals” airing daily on Sprout, and the online destination “Wilson & Ditch: Digging America” for PBSKIDSGO.org. Before Henson, Sheridan concentrated on Developmental Psychology at Hunter College’s Communication & Play Lab in New York, assisting in the supervision of a parent education program targeting the communication skills of toddlers at risk for developing autism and published two articles on related research.

Blanca Lista began as a story editor in the Company’s feature film department in 2009. Current projects in development include “Pinocchio” with Guillermo Del Toro and “The Doubtful Guest,” based on the book by cult author Edward Gorey. Before joining Henson, Lista was a creative assistant at Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures Entertainment where she was selected for the Sony Global Internship program. Lista was awarded the Jamie Lubarr Research Prize at Bard College and received an MFA with honors distinction in film from Saint Lukas University. She was also an artist-in-residence at the gallery Les Bains in Brussels.

About The Jim Henson Company:

The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 50 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation. Best known as creators of the world famous Muppets, Henson has received over 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy Awards. Recent credits include the Emmy® nominated "Sid the Science Kid," "Dinosaur Train," "Wilson & Ditch: Digging America" and "Pajanimals." Features include "The Dark Crystal," "Labyrinth," "MirrorMask," and "Unstable Fables" and television productions include "Fraggle Rock" and the sci-fi cult series "Farscape."

With additional locations in New York and London, The Jim Henson Company is headquartered in Los Angeles on the historic Charlie Chaplin lot, complete with soundstage and postproduction facilities. Independently owned and operated by the five adult children of founder Jim Henson, the Company is also home to Jim Henson's Creature Shop™, a pre-eminent character-building and visual effects group with international film, television and advertising clients, as well as Henson Recording Studios, one of the music industry's top recording facilities known for its world-class blend of state-of-the-art and vintage equipment. The Company’s Henson Alternative brand has recently launched the national tour of "Stuffed and Unstrung," a live puppet improvisational show named one of the top 10 “Best Stage Shows of 2010” by Entertainment Weekly. www.henson.com